My Apartment Needs Some Style.

You can also "paper" a wall with material and liquid starch. I saw this on a decorating show AGES ago. It was specifically for renters that couldn't paint. Here's a link - just google "liquid startch wallpaper" - http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_wallpaper-fabric.html

I spruced up my apartment by going to Goodwill and thrift stores and looking for interesting things. I found tons of stuff. I found framed pictures and hung them on the wall. Tons of Ansel Adams work in black and white and it looks great on the wall.

Start with picking out 3 of your favorite colors and going from there. I chose purples, blacks, and greens. Then you can get sconces (decoritive candle holders) for the walls and put in colorful candles. Then get some colored sheer curtins for the windows to let in plenty of light and color up the room a bit.

So many things you can do especially if your into photography. Take some of your favorite photos and blow them up and put them in black and white, or sepia color. It adds a personal touch to everything.

If you love photography, expand on that. Visit thrift stores, garage sales and the like for old cameras and use them to decorate your walls.

I love eclectic and here is what I picture
If you are allowed to paint, I would paint the walls a steel blue color ( kinda like a gray with a hint of blue. I would them pick a wall where I can hang shelves and paint that orange. You can get a shoe shelf at Target (The one that has a bunch of cubbies for the shoes) and take off the back so when you hang it you can see the orange peeking through. You can then put up a collection of old cameras.

Shop garage sales for an old wooden coffee table. You may even get one for free at free cycle. Sand, paint ( black/ dark brown/your choice), Place a copy of your fav photographs on top and seal with polyurethane ( work in wel vented area) You can also use a resin with better results but can be costly at $30 per set and you may need 2 for 1 table top.

Not sure what is "cool" for you but a minimalist look can also be nice.

I furnished my apartment from IKEA, Target, and a bed from Sears, a love seat and chair from the back sale room at Wicks. I got to start "from scratch" when I moved out of my house into the apartment, so I started with rugs I found at IKEA in bright primary colors and then added from there. None of these pieces were purchased to last forever, someday I will be able to do that again (walked away from some very nice pieces in the house I furnished over the years, but needed a whole new start). For now, these rooms make me happy when I look at them.

This is something I learned from my Mom - pick one piece of furniture, or a pillow, or a photograph, or anything you own that has a color combination you love, then add pieces (rugs, pillows, wall colors, flower pots, anything) that bring out those colors. This can tie together a room even if the pieces are different styles.

My walls and furniture are all neutral colors, my rugs, pillows, bedding, lamps, pictures are all bright primary colors (because I love those) but this approach could be used with any color scheme.

There are people out there who come and use what you have and add very little to make your place "cooler". I love Hobby Lobby and resale stores when looking to add. Last year I went to consignment store and bought a table and 6 chairs for our formal dining room for only $400.

Find cool picture frames at garage sales. They can all look different. Spray paint them bright colors or your favorite colors & position them together. Paint your walls neutral colors like tan or gray. Get throw pillows at discount stores with the same colors as your frames. You can also take old lamps that you already have & spray paint those with same colors as picture frames to coordinate. These are all ideas I got from decorating magazines. All cheap & affordable... Also remember less is more, decluttering can give a whole new look too.

Go to the library and look through some decorating books. Find a theme or look you like and go from there. My home is an older home and would not look good if I decorated with modern furniture and accessories. So I would follow the age of your home and go from there. You can find great deals at thrift stores, Hobby Lobby, consignment shops and yard sales. One caution if you decide to get new furniture be sure to look for good quality furniture. Anything with a 1-5 yr warrenty will not hold up and will probably break, if the sales person will not show you the frame, pass. Make sure the frame is made with hardwood, not particle board or plywood the frame will break with regular use. A really good couch will cost $800-$1000, however a nice second hand couch from a consignment store should be around $400 but again make sure the frame will hold up and be sure the springs are in good condition. Once you have decided on a nice solid piece go from there for your color scheme. A lot of furniture comes with arm covers in the same fabric the piece is made from, take one of those with you when you go shopping. It makes it so much easier to be sure the colors will work together. Now that you have your color scheme you can look for accessories, lamps, pictures, ect.

"Fluff your stuff: They are Omaha based and can come to your home. If not, they have great pics to get ideas from! If you are on facebook they have tons of awesome pictures on there too!

http://fluffyourstuff.com/

How about modern colorful rugs, pillows and curtains. Look through catalogs or magazines and try to copy what you like and think is fashionable. It sucks not being able to paint bc that makes a huge difference!!!

keep all your themes together of your family pictures. Ski photos in on montage, school pics in another. Group them, rather than line them. Can you frame? It's easy.

check out bhg.com, i like their decorating ideas because they are more realistic, imo. they do smaller spaces, re-using things you already have, and stuff like that,not all these mega mansions like lots of the other magazines